Safety blinker belt

ABSTRACT

A belt intended to be worn about the waist of a cyclist and the like and including lighted reflectors positioned behind the cyclist&#39;&#39;s waist adapted to blink in random sequence under the control of electrical switches connected to the lights and sensing the movements of the body of the cyclist so as to provide a randomly flashing signal to traffic rearwardly of the cyclist.

United States Patent [191 Cukale [451 Oct. 8, 1974 1 SAFETY BLINKER BELT[76] Inventor: Edward M. Cukale, 6135 S. Kolmar Ave, Chicago, 111. 60629[22] Filed: Jan. 7, 1974 21 Appl. No.: 431,350

[52] U.S. Cl 340/134, 240/64 W, 340/321 [51] Int. Cl. G08b 5/00 [58]Field of Search 340/134, 331, 321

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,153,745 10/1964 Gurian eta1 340/321 X 5/1972 Keith 340/321 3/1973 Perl 340/134 PrimaryExaminerDonald J. Yusko [5 7] ABSTRACT A belt intended to be worn aboutthe waist of a cyclist and the like and including lighted reflectorspositioned behind the cyclists waist adapted to blink in random sequenceunder the control of electrical switches connected to the lights andsensing the movements of the body of the cyclist so as to provide arandomly flashing signal to traffic rearwardly of the cyclist.

3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures SAFETY BLINKER BELT BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally tosafety devices and more particularly to a novel safety blinker beltintended to be worn by a cyclist for signaling rearward traffic as tothe presence of the cyclist to avoid the possibility of such trafficstriking the cyclist due to not seeing the cyclist in or adjacent thelane of traffic.

2. Description of the Prior Art The popularity of bicycle riding andmotorcycle riding has increased notably during recent years both sincesuch means of transportation provides a form of entertainment and aconvenient means of getting about between locations. Further, bicycleriding has increased in popularity as being a non-polluting means oftransportation. Many persons riding bicycles do so during night timehours or during other times of poor visibility, and although themajority of bicycles and motorcycles make use of headlights and tailreflectors and/or tail lights, these are often not fully efficient fortheir function of warning surrounding traffic of the presence of thecyclist. This obviously creates the possibility of an accident so that adevice serving to minimiie such possibility of traffic accidentallyencountering a cyclist due to not seeing the cyclist would be wellreceived in the art.

Prior art devices are known having a belt with reflectors supportedthereon to be disposed in the back of a person wearing the belt, suchdevices designed primarily for individuals walking along a roadway so asto be visible by reflected headlights on the reflectors from oncomingtraffic. While such devices may be used by cyclists they would not betruly effective as to obtaining the attention of the traffic on theroadway to make the traffic aware of the presence of the cyclist.

Other devices are known in the form of a belt intended to be worn aboutan individuals waist and on which there are lights disposed across theback thereof to eliminate a portion of the persons body to indicate thepresence thereof to oncoming traffic. However, as such illumination isof a constant type it is not attractive of the attention of oncomingtraffic such that a cyclist may still be struck by a vehicle whosedriver is not fully aware of the presence of the cyclist.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention recognizes the dangers ofcyclists riding along or adjacent to roadways as to making theirpresence known to oncoming traffic, and provides a novel solutionthereto which overcomes the deficiencies and disadvantages of presentlyavailable devices by providing a novel safety blinker belt intended tobe worn about the waist of the cyclist and containing a battery sourceof power connected to a pair of spaced apart lights which includesensing type electrical switches in the wiring with such switchessensing the movement of the individuals body and operating the lights ina random blinking manner in conjunction with such movement such that thelights will be randomly flashed to make the presence of the cyclistknown to oncoming traffic, it being well known that flashing lightsattract the attention of a vehicle driver rapidly when such flash in arandom manner as the driver slows to determine the nature of theflashing prior to encountering or passing the same. i

It is a feature of the present invention to provide a convenient warningdevice intended to be worn about the waist of a cyclist and operative ina manner to warn oncoming traffic of the presence of the cyclist.

A further feature of the present invention provides a safety blinkerbelt which is intended to be worn by a cyclist as a waist encirclingbelt and which is comfortable to be worn and which flashes a warning tooncoming traffic making the presence of the cyclist clearly visiblethereto.

Among the further features and advantages of the present invention isthe provision of a safety blinker belt which is relatively simple in itsconstruction and which therefore may be readily manufactured at arelatively low cost and by-simple manufacturing methods; one which ispossessed of few parts and which .therefore is unlikely to get out oforder; one which is rugged and durable and which therefore may beguaranteed by the manufacturer to withstand many years of intendedusage; one which is aesthetically pleasing and refined in appearance;one which is easy to use andreliable and efficient in operation; and onewhich, otherwise, is well adapted to perform the services required ofit.

Other features and advantages of this invention will be apparent duringthe course of the following descrip tion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings forming apart of this specification, and in which like reference characters areemployed to designate like parts throughout the same:

FIG.1 is a rear perspective view of a cyclist wearing the belt of thepresent invention about his waist;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the the electricalwiring of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings indetail there is illustrated a preferred form of a safety blinker beltconstructed in accordance with the principles of the present inventionand designated generally in its entirety by the reference numeral 10 andwhich is comprised of a flexible strap 11 defining a belt to be wornabout the waist of a cyclist 7 riding a bicycle or motorcycle 8 and onwhich there is mounted a rigid panel 12 supporting a battery housing 13with a pair of lights 14 each mounted on an opposite end of the batteryhousing in a manner to be visible rearwardly of the cyclist 7.

The panel 12 is formed of an elongated substantially flat plate memberhaving dome like portions 22 formed therein and projecting in thedirection of belt 11 and adapted to have electrical light sockets 23affixed cocentrically thereto and projecting therethrough to hold abattery operated bulb 24 therein in a position projecting forwardly ofinterior dome surface 25 which forms a reflector surrounding theassociated lamp bulb 24. Affixed to the back of each socket 23 is arectangularly shaped loop 27 having a rectangular slot 28' extendingtherethrough adapted for sliding reception of belt 11 through the slotsfor retaining the panel to the belt. Mounted on the face surface 29 ofplate member 21 are a pair of translucent plastic lens elements 31 eachsecured to the panel by suitable fastening means 32, such as screws,bolts and the like with each lens being of a dome shape and adapted tobe placed concentric with the domes 22 and project outwardly of thepanel in the opposite direction of the domes 22 about the lamp bulbs 24so as to permit light to penetrate through each of the lens elements 31to be visible to oncoming traffic rearwardly of the cyclist 7.

Disposed intermediate the lens elements 31 and mounted on the facesurface 29 of the panel is battery housing 13 which is in the form of arectangular hollow container having a front surface 35 and side surfaces36 and 37 with closed top and bottom ends 38 and 39 so as to define abattery receiving compartment 40 therein adapted to receive a pair ofdry cell type batteries 41. For ease of manufacturing the housing 13 isformed integrally with the lens elements 31.

A vertical slot 42 is formed centrally of housing face surface 35 andhas projecting therethrough an actuating member 42 of an electricalslide switch which is slidable in such slot between an on and an offposition, the switch being designated in FIG. by reference numeral 43.

Disposed in each of the lamp sockets 23 is a conventional type mercurytube switch 45 disposed in general alignment with the longitudinal axisof plate member 21 and is electrically connected to its associated lampbulb 24 by suitable electrical wires, the mercury switch of each socketalso being connected by suitable electrical wires 46 to the switch 43and batteries 41 such that movement of the belt by tilting movement ofthe persons body will jiggle the mercury fluid in the mercury switches45 so as to make and break the electrical contact therebetween in arandom manner so as to effectvthe random energization andde-energization of the lamp bulbs 24 such that the lamp bulbs flash inrandom sequence with such flashes being visible through lens elements 31rearwardly of the cyclist 7 to thus attract the attention of oncomingtraffic and warn such traffic of the presence of the cyclist.

As seen in FIG. 5 the batteries 41 are connected in electrical seriesrelationship with one terminal of the interconnected batteries beingconnected to a stationary contact 51 of switch 43, the switch having amovable contact 52 which is connected to a terminal 53 of each lamp bulb24. The opposite terminals 54 of each lampbulb 24 are connected to aterminal 55 of an associated mercury switch 45, the opposite terminal 56of each mercury switch being connected together and also connected tothe remaining terminal of the interconnected batteries 41. Closing ofswitch 43 completes the electrical circuit to the lamp bulb 24 whenthemercury solution 57 in the mercury switch 45 is in contact with bothof the terminals 56 and 55, and when the solution is not in simultaneouscontact with both of such terminals then the particular circuit to theassociated lamp bulb is de-energized. In this manner each lamp bulb iscontrolled by its separate mercury switch 45 so as to provide a randompattern of energization and deenergization of the associated bulbs.

It is to be understood that the form of this invention herewith shownand described is to be taken as a pre-v ferred example of the same, andthat this invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement ofparts shown in the accompanying drawings or described in thisspecification as various changes in the details of construction as toshape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention, the scope of the novelconcepts thereof, or the scope of the sub-joined claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed 1. A safety blinkerbelt intendedto be worn about the waist of a cyclist or the like forwarning oncoming traftic of the presence of the cyclist, the devicecomprising a body encircling strap adapted to be placed about the waistof a cyclist and secured thereto, a battery housing carried by saidstrap rearwardly thereof and adapted to contain an electrical dry celltype battery therein, light means disposed on each side of said batteryhousing and mounted to said belt, suitable electrical wiring meansinterconnecting said light means with said battery compartment toprovide electrical energization thereof, an electrical switch mounted insaid battery compartment and electrically interposed in said wiring andmanually operable between an on and an off position for selectivelyenergizing and de-energizing said light means from said battery, anelectrical sensing switch means mounted adjacent each of said lightmeans and electrically interposed in the particular elecwearing the beltin a manner to randomly complete and.

open the electrical circuit to said associated light means inconjunctionwith such persons movements whereby a random blinking effectis provided to said light means.

2. The safety blinker belt device as set forth in claim 1 wherein saidplate is of a substantially flat elongated rectangular configurationhaving a back surface and a front surface, said plate including domeportions formed therein and projecting outwardly of said back surface inthe direction of said belt, each dome having mounted concentric thereofan electrical lamp socket mounted rearwardly of the dome and projectingtherethrough to project slightly forwardly of the dome interior surface,a lamp bulb electrically connected in each socket and projectingforwardly of the face surface of each dome, each face surface of eachdome defining a reflector circuit, each socket having affixed to theback projecting end thereof a strap loop defining an opening extendingtherethrough and adapted to receive the belt therethrough in amannerretaining said panel to said belt, a translucent dome shaped lenselement associ ated with each of said panel domes and affixed to saidfront surface of said panel concentric with said domes and projectingoutwardly of said panel in a direction opposite to said domes, and saidbattery housing being 7 disposed intermediate said lens elements andaffixed to said panel, said battery housing having a front surface witha vertical slot therein through which projects a manual actuating meansfor said electrical switch.

3. The safety blinker belt device as set forth in claim 2 wherein saidmeans for controlling the random flashing of said light bulb comprises apair of mercury operated switches, each switch disposed in one of saidsockcies.

1. A safety blinker belt intended to be worn about the waist of acyclist or the like for warning oncoming traffic of the presence of thecyclist, the device comprising a body encircling strap adapted to beplaced about the waist of a cyclist and secured thereto, a batteryhousing carried by said strap rearwardly thereof and adapted to containan electrical dry cell type battery therein, light means disposed oneach side of said battery housing and mounted to said belt, suitableelectrical wiring means interconnecting said light means with saidbattery compartment to provide electrical energization thereof, anelectrical switch mounted in said battery compartment and electricallyinterposed in said wiring and manually operable between an ''''on''''and an ''''off'''' position for selectively energiZing and de-energizingsaid light means from said battery, an electrical sensing switch meansmounted adjacent each of said light means and electrically interposed inthe particular electrical circuit for the energizing of the particularlight means and operable to sense the movement of a person wearing thebelt in a manner to randomly complete and open the electrical circuit tosaid associated light means in conjunction with such person''s movementswhereby a random blinking effect is provided to said light means.
 2. Thesafety blinker belt device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said plate isof a substantially flat elongated rectangular configuration having aback surface and a front surface, said plate including dome portionsformed therein and projecting outwardly of said back surface in thedirection of said belt, each dome having mounted concentric thereof anelectrical lamp socket mounted rearwardly of the dome and projectingtherethrough to project slightly forwardly of the dome interior surface,a lamp bulb electrically connected in each socket and projectingforwardly of the face surface of each dome, each face surface of eachdome defining a reflector circuit, each socket having affixed to theback projecting end thereof a strap loop defining an opening extendingtherethrough and adapted to receive the belt therethrough in a mannerretaining said panel to said belt, a translucent dome shaped lenselement associated with each of said panel domes and affixed to saidfront surface of said panel concentric with said domes and projectingoutwardly of said panel in a direction opposite to said domes, and saidbattery housing being disposed intermediate said lens elements andaffixed to said panel, said battery housing having a front surface witha vertical slot therein through which projects a manual actuating meansfor said electrical switch.
 3. The safety blinker belt device as setforth in claim 2 wherein said means for controlling the random flashingof said light bulb comprises a pair of mercury operated switches, eachswitch disposed in one of said sockets of said lamp bulbs andelectrically interconnected in the electrical circuit for said lampbulb, said switches operable in conjunction with the tilting and movingmotions of a person wearing the belt in a manner to make and break theelectrical circuit to the lamp bulb to effect the blinking actionthereof at random frequencies.